"Although science has no borders, scholars have their own homeland."
This is the famous quote of Louis Pasteur, a famous French microbiologist and the founder of microbiome physiology.
Behind the scholars, relying on the country and thousands of compatriots in the motherland, Hua Luogeng, the father of modern Chinese mathematics, once expounded his pure heart with "Although Liang Garden is good, it is not a place to stay for a long time".
Send scholars, go abroad
1978 was the year of China's third great historical changes in the 20th century, and it was also the year when reform and opening up began.
At that time, Liu Da served as the president and secretary of the party committee of Tsinghua University, and expressed his "work report on Tsinghua University" at a meeting.
At the end of his report, Deng Xiaoping proposed:
"I am in favor of an increase in the number of international students, mainly engaged in natural sciences, and sent in thousands and thousands, not just ten or eight... This is one of the important ways to achieve results quickly within five years and raise the level of science and education on the mainland. ”
Time is long, there are many things to study abroad and messy, and it is not easy to recover and implement it for a while, but in the bones of Chinese, it seems that there is always a little reluctance and a hint of stubbornness.
In charge of the matter was Li Qiong, deputy director of the Foreign Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Education, who and his colleagues not only completed the plan in two months, but also organized a public examination abroad.
In accordance with Deng Xiaoping's guiding ideology of "achieving results in five years," the Ministry of Education decided to first select talents studying abroad among the young backbone of young teachers and major scientific research institutes in well-known domestic colleges and universities.
All the work was done in an orderly and intensive manner, but Li Qiong's heart was actually worried, so excited, what if these people did not come back?
Meticulous in his work, but always with this doubt in his heart, Deng Xiaoping Xu saw the worries of the Ministry of Education.
"Don't be afraid to run, that is, run one-tenth, and nine-tenths, and if you send ten thousand people to run a thousand people back, and there are nine thousand people, you must send a large number of people, don't be afraid."
Deng Xiaoping's remarks completely dispelled the doubts of the people, and they worked even more diligently to send "students abroad."
Layer by layer selection, study abroad
International students are selected to study in the United States, and talents are selected in various colleges and universities, and each school can send people to participate in the selection.
According to the instructions of the state, this group of scholars to go abroad to study scientific knowledge for two years, of which "English" is a very important one, communicate with people, learn knowledge, language barrier can not continue, so "English" has become the first hurdle of selection.
On the basis of political review, the first round of screening is handed over to the heads of departments and departments, and then the school and the Ministry of Education will organize examinations separately, and all three rounds can be passed before the next round can be entered.
After the selection, these scholars will enter the language school for pre-departure study, specifically explaining some precautions about going abroad.
In the first class, the teacher's first sentence was, "Don't think that choosing is equivalent to going abroad, once there is a storm in diplomacy, you may not be able to go at any time." ”
After the end of the study, 52 people, divided into five teams, set off, at that time, China and the United States were not yet navigable, and the only way to go to the United States was to first go to Paris, then from Paris to New York, and finally to Washington, and then for nearly 20 hours, the scholars could officially arrive in the United States.
In addition to the Ministry of Education's letter about applying for a visa, there is a $50 fee.
"$50" may be a little ridiculous now, less than $1 per capita, which doesn't play any role at all.
However, in that era, when the country's economy was not developed, the $50, although insignificant, was full of the country's deepest expectations for this group of scholars.
University of Wisconsin, Learn, Share
As the general leader, Liu Baicheng went to the University of Wisconsin alone, and the attraction of this school was its strong casting discipline, which was famous in the United States and was the first.
He studied at the University of Wisconsin for a year and a half, and in his final semester he transferred to the Department of Materials and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Since the period of study in the United States, Liu Baicheng has been exposed to many things that he has never been exposed to before, mastered a number of the world's most advanced material analysis instruments, and has further views on the microscopic world of studying materials.
When Liu Baicheng first saw her eight- or nine-year-old son playing with Apple computers at the landlady's house, this middle-aged man in his forties seemed to open the door to a new world for a while.
Novel, interesting, never seen before, but deeply attracted by it, Liu Baicheng seems to be able to see what kind of storm the computer will set off in this society in the near future.
Therefore, Liu Baicheng immediately decided to learn computers, the body of more than 40 years old, brain power and physical strength are far less than young people, and the computer high language is secretive.
Liu Baicheng is not willing to give up easily, just reading books is not enough, he learns to write his own programs, and studies computers with 20-year-old college students in his 40s.
Thanks to the 24-hour opening of the computer room in the United States, during that time, Liu Baicheng would bring a cup of coffee to the computer room almost every night at 8 o'clock, and write the program until two or three o'clock in the morning.
While learning knowledge and expanding his horizons, Liu Baicheng has established long-term contacts with the international academic community, not only limited to the University of Wisconsin and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
He also visited the University of Michigan, The University of Casecichu, Columbia University, and established close cooperation with experts in the same field from all over the world, visited the General Motors Technology Center, Ford Motor Company Technology Center, and the construction machinery giant Caterpillar Corporation.
I have to say that during the period of studying in the United States, the things and contacts that Liu Baicheng accumulated provided very important support for his work after returning to China.
With the "formal establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States", the United States has also set off a "China fever", in which Liu Baicheng, as a Chinese, has naturally become the center of discussion.
Not only did someone call Liu Baicheng to dinner and learn about China, but even Liu Baicheng was invited to participate in speeches, media interviews and other activities.
Liu Baicheng has always been a visitor to these people, and as a Chinese, it is his duty to do his best to publicize the true situation of China to foreign friends.
American students always have questions about China in one way or another, and Liu Baicheng always tirelessly replies to them while not forgetting to maintain the image of the country.
In 2012, the leaders of the University of Wisconsin came to Beijing and issued a certificate to Liu Baicheng:
Liu Baicheng was the first person in Chinese mainland to study at the University of Wisconsin and one of the first Chinese visiting scholars to visit the United States.
Studying in the United States will change your life
Yang Weisheng, graduated from the Department of Physics of Peking University in 1959, and then stayed on to teach, and in 1978, after the state made a decision to send scholars to study in the United States, Yang Weisheng also received a notice to take the English exam.
Although Yang Weisheng University studied Russian and had a limited degree in English, he still achieved good results in the examination and became one of the first visiting scholars to go to the United States.
The first time I went abroad, everything was undoubtedly new and interesting for Yang Weisheng, and when the plane stopped in Paris, Yang Weisheng saw such a high-class toilet for the first time.
Yang Weisheng, along with Dai Yuandong, another teacher in the Physics Department of Peking University, came to the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where Yang Weisheng began his study career in the United States.
When he first participated in the press conference, Yang Weisheng was nervous, and could only understand a little bit and stuttered two sentences.
At the beginning, Yang Weisheng only dared to sit in the office, rarely communicated with people, and basically did not do anything every day except the "Good morning" of getting up early.
Looking at the American students around him, thinking about his identity as a Chinese dispatch scholar, Yang Weisheng did not dare to rest for a moment, and in the first year, in order to improve his English level, Yang Weisheng listened to the radio almost twenty-four hours a day and practiced his spoken language.
In order to force himself to improve his English level, even if there were already some Chinese books in the United States at that time, Yang Weisheng rarely read them, Xu was afraid of shaking his determination to learn English, and every time he went to the library, he always gave priority to English reading materials, far away from those Chinese editions.
In a year's time, Yang Weisheng's English level has been greatly improved, and because he listens to the radio every day, he has also created Yang Weisheng's identity as an "information pass".
Yang Weisheng crossed the ocean, separated from his family, and suffered from homesickness during his time in the United States, but academic research was the happiest thing he did during this period.
When Yang Weisheng first entered the laboratory in the United States and looked at the advanced instruments placed, he was shocked, delighted, and envious.
A whole room full of equipment, seen and unseen, was placed there, and Yang Weisheng lamented again and again the favorable conditions of American research.
As long as there is time to contact the instrument, Yang Weisheng will immediately seize the opportunity to learn to use, when someone is on the side, he will tirelessly ask, when no one teaches, he will read the instruction manual alone and study alone.
During his time in the United States, Yang Weisheng never wasted time, and every day Yang Weisheng studied tirelessly, always thinking of learning more and watching more.
Over time, people around him also saw Yang Weisheng's efforts and efforts, and the guidance professor even decided to hire Yang Weisheng as his research assistant.
Although he was valued and hired by the Us side, Yang Weisheng always had China in mind, the country that gave birth to him and raised him, and the family who was waiting for his return on the other side of the ocean.
Because of the hiring of the supervising professor, Yang Weisheng stayed in the United States for a third year, and before returning to China, he used the salary he had accumulated in the last year to buy an Apple II computer and brought it back to the physics department of Peking University as a gift.
The 72-year-old Yang Weisheng, who has white hair, is on the campus of Peking University, looking at the endless sky and green trees, and sighing.
"Reform and opening up gave us the opportunity, and we seized this opportunity to change my life in three years in the United States."
When I first went abroad, I was a bit bitter
For Wang Jinghua, going to the United States as a visiting scholar is good news and another big problem.
According to the identity of researchers, they can go abroad, learn the latest progress in the United States to learn more knowledge, it is the best, according to the identity of being a husband, a father, and a son of man, two children are still very small, and it is a little unauthentic for parents to throw them under their subordinates in their old age.
In the end, Wang Jinghua still overcame all kinds of difficulties, boarded a plane to the United States, and began his two-year study career.
During his time in the United States, the two sentences before the premier's departure have always been remembered by Wang Jinghua.
One is that "you have difficulties in living abroad, and you must take the initiative to reflect them", and the second is "I hope that everyone can return to China after studying, after all, there is an iron rice bowl at home, and life is guaranteed.".
Life during studying in the United States was actually not good, at that time, many of the countries in the treatment of international students were in the initial exploration stage, and various policies were adjusted from time to time.
During his stay in the United States, due to the adjustment of policies, the safety of Chinese students was greatly guaranteed, and Wang Jinghua was able to participate in the party and visit the scenery of various places.
Although his life is a bit stretched, Wang Jinghua's study and research in the Kelang Institute of Mathematics at New York University have never slackened.
Due to his status as a visiting scholar, Wang Jinghua did not have any hard rules on courses and test scores, but Wang Jinghua did not let himself go, but was more diligent.
"It is not easy for the state to send us abroad, and if we cannot learn new knowledge, we will feel ashamed of the motherland."
I think this is also the voice of every visiting scholar.
During his time in the United States, in addition to doing research in the office and library, listening to some lectures and graduate courses, Wang Jinghua went to the most places he visited was the famous Barnes & Noble bookstore on Fifth Avenue in New York, where he would always find a few "treasures".
When the time expired and Wang Jinghua packed up and returned to China, he brought an 18-inch color TV and a recorder with two speakers, all of which were rare fresh goods in that era.
In 1981, 52 scholars who studied in the United States returned to China one after another, and none of them stayed in the United States, and after returning home, they became leaders in various industries.
Seven of the 52 people were elected academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences or the Chinese Academy of Engineering, won numerous first, second and third prizes for national scientific and technological progress, and the vast majority of them have worked hard in universities to cultivate countless scientific researchers.
The first batch of students to study in the United States this experience is very rare for these 52 people, and it is also an unforgettable blessing in this life, and every scholar always has a nostalgic smile on his face when he recalls this experience.
Cao Xiaoping once said with emotion, "I am really grateful for the opportunity to study in the United States, it has given me a lot and changed me a lot." ”
In the United States, learn scientific knowledge, apply what you have learned, and transform the knowledge of the hard state in books into your own talents for the creation and research of the country.
Albert Einstein once said, "If my theory of relativity were confirmed, Germany would declare that I was a German, and France would call me a citizen of the world, but if my theory proved wrong, France would emphasize that I was a German, and Germany would say that I was a Jew." ”
Science has no borders, scientific exploration is not restricted by nationality, everyone can contact, but scientists have a motherland, the development of scientific undertakings and the fate of scientists are closely related to the motherland.
Scientists and the motherland is a community of destiny, only when the country is strong, the status of scientists can be improved, the first batch of students to the United States deeply appreciate the country's efforts, and then dedicate their lives to the country's scientific cause with their own ability.
Now, I just want to say with tears in my eyes: Zhuang Xi, I am GreatEr China!
bibliography:
"1978 Study Abroad Changes Lives"
"Witness Liu Baicheng Forty Years Ago, 52 of Us Went to study in the United States" 2018